BRICK — A 15-year-old boy who went under the water of a lagoon on Saturday later died from his injuries.

The teen was identified Sunday as Jimmy Bangura, a sophomore at Brick Township High School.

Police Sgt. James Kelly said the teen was with several friends who were swimming and jumping into the water in the backyard of a home on Toronto Drive in the Seawood Harbor development about 6 p.m. After about five minutes, one of the friends noticed the teen was not with the group and they began to look for him, according to Kelly.

The owner of the home dove several times before locating the boy and brought him onto a boat where he and several other adults began to administer CPR until emergency responders arrived, Kelly said. The boy remained unconscious and unresponsive at the scene. An ambulance took Bangura to Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

A letter from schools superintendent Gerard Dalton sent condolences to Bangura's family and friends.

Students from the high school and Lake Riviera Middle School were at the home and witnessed the incident, according to Dalton, who said counselors from Preferred Behavorial Health and the Ocean County Traumatic Loss Coalition would be available to provide counseling.

The superintendent told parents that a traumatic loss can trigger an emotional response to an unrelated event. He asked members of the school community to refrain from posting about the news on social media.

Much of the Toronto Drive neighborhood has a network of miles of man-made lagoons, as built on former wetlands or marshes, according to a 2018 neighborhood plan issued by Brick Township.

 

Mark Anthony contributed to this report.

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